Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts.
VV, What lovely pictures.
I know these horrible cold temps and ton's of snow can be a real hardship, But I still love the snow.
My daughter got these dyed roses for V day. I know everyone has different opinions on dyed flowers but these are a bit different. There are several colors in each bloom. Anyone know how they do this? Maybe inject the dye?
Pretty roses Holly.
I like dyed flowers and find these very interesting, I think they are fun and will have to get some for myself one of these days. I found it interesting how very dark the leaves are like they pick up all the colors making them very dark, while the blooms are multi colored with a good bit of the natural white showing.
Now, you know I had to go back and take another peek at the leaves. Hehehe. They are interesting.
I did look it up and they cut the stems into 2 or 3 lengthwise pieces and put each stem in a different cup of dye.
You've managed to make snow look nice, VV.
Are your finer stock 4 horses and 1 steer? I'm giving myself a vision test ; - )
V V---
Are you asking for my recipe for stuffed Cabbage?
I will be glad to send it to you...LMK.
Same question re the Figs....BUT--They are half hardy here in Z-7a.
Don't think they will grow in your zone--5b. They are from the Mediterranean.
Last winter--everyone's Figs died back to the ground. They DID re-sprout,
but this winter will be just as harsh. Doubt if the roots will make it through
another freezing winter and come back.
I just potted up 7 of the 18 cuttings which had definite roots on them.
The others went back in the soil to grow some roots. The tops on all had a definite
leaf bud--but that does not mean there are roots. Same with Hydrangeas.
Can't "jump the gun".....
G.
Gitagal:
Yes, and yes. Stuffed cabbage was always one of my mom's staple items when I was growing up. If you don't have enough takers for all the figs, I'd give one a whirl - understanding that winter protection is a must (or bring indoors).
Muddy1:
Looking nice is the operative term. Being out in it, not so much. Isn't snow always whiter on someone else's pasture?
I did not intend to terribly mislead anyone. My finer stock are only in the first image: L-R is 'Judy Evans' American Holly, Thuja plicata, and a fat Virginia Juniper.
The rest of the images are borrowed central Kentucky scenery, including the upper echelon thoroughbred bloodstock at Lane's End Farm. The Canada Geese hang out on the roadside lake. Even the shadow is from a nice maple at the UK Arboretum. The dry snow really rested nicely on the conifers in Lexington neighborhoods. I collected quite a few like that one spruce.
Since I'm already borrowing liberally, I'll share some more from today.
1. A man's home is his castle. I'm not that man, but the castle has reigned over the Woodford/Fayette County line since the mid 1970s.
2. A newer "castle", Keene Ridge Farm and residence built in the early 2000s.
3. The lines in this image were intriguingly juxtaposed.
4. A woman's home is, well, her fairy tale. This belongs to a very nice veterinarian I've known most of my adult life. Except for the big Silver Maples in that image, I designed and planted everything else there for her.
5. The Peach Palace at Heaven Trees Farm from another angle...
I thought everyone in Kentucky had horses ; - )
Those are nice scenes, except for the first one. A castle in horse country?! I bet that was controversial when it was built.
Everyone does - at least to look at. Having worked around them, I realize that they are just as much fun when someone else owns them - and foots the bills.
Controversial? Only because it was built in an historic district, and they cut down about a 50 acres of ancient multi-centenarian oaks and ash...
Victorian style homes are my favorite, and that one is a beauty. The landscape you designed and planted looks great even in winter - which I believe is the hardest design concept to achieve. Love these winter photos.
Gorgeous pictures, VV. I love how a fresh coating of snow makes everything look so clean.
I've always lived in or very close to major cities, so I can't imagine owning that much land! To me, half an acre is gigantic.
If I lived in that castle, I would probably look out my window everyday, survey my acres and yell, "IT'S ALLL MIIINE! MWAHAHAH!"
Holly, I don't mind dyed flowers, either. Painted flowers, on the other hand...
Lol!
I looked at that pic without reading the caption and thought for a sec that was VV's house!
I would like to thank the lovely person who posted about Swallowtail Seeds. I just had to peek at the site. Just a peek. Well yes I could use a few...and I really did want... but that's all. Then I saw the "buy so many and you get free shipping". Shucks so close! Next thing you know I'm now trying to figure out where I'm going to put all the seedlings and forgot half of what I ordered and trying to beat the mail man (he is a man) to the mailbox so my husband won't know. I've got so much gardening stuff once its out of the box I'm safe. Thank you who ever you are!
Has anyone started seeds yet. I got started on Sunday. I've got started
Datura
Dahlias
Radishes
Coleus
Amaranth
Heliotrop
Now the plant stand in the laundry room is filled
Got a bunch of perennials that I didn't get in the ground in the family room that are all up
Trycirtis
Chelome
Japanese anemone
Ferns
Balloon Flower
Hellebores
They're filling the sliding glass door in the family with
a lily from a bulbil that I think will bloom this year and a bunch of other bits and pieces
The overflow is in the plant stand in the bath tub in my bathroom
That's it, I'm just going to have to get another plant stand and put it in my son's bedroom. He's away at school and the room's going to waste anyway. He and the dog have ruined his carpet so... OOOOO thanks guys for the help. I start the next lot this weekend
Yehudith
Yehudith
Controversial? Only because it was built in an historic district, and they cut down about a 50 acres of ancient multi-centenarian oaks and ash...
Like Dan Snyder (Redskins owner) cutting down 140 trees on National Park Service property so he could see the Patomac River from his newly built mansion.
Was he the one who said an arborist told him the trees were unhealthy and unsafe?
That is just sick GT. A lot of humans on this earth have no respect for life, wild life, or plant life and it is really sad. A girl at work told me yesterday she had an ex boyfriend that flushed a live kitten down a toilet. I think a little piece of me died after that story. Another woman I work with has acreage and will try to shoot any wild animal on it that she deems an 'inconvenience'. A red tailed hawk lurks around used to snag a chicken or two and she's tried to shoot it before. Luckily, she's been unsuccessful and has now better protected the chickens. There's a fox though that she wants to shoot too. She thinks that these animals 'shouldn't' be on her property because they have 'all this other land' to be on....Ludicrous.
That whole arborist story was probably just a story.
It's a violation of federal law to shoot red tailed hawks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_hawk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migratory_Bird_Treaty_Act_of_1918
This message was edited Feb 19, 2015 10:19 PM
Here's a disturbing twist: A National Park Service official helped Snyder get permission to cut them down... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/18/AR2006051802337.html
....but Mother Nature is getting her revenge: "That removal has caused the hill behind Snyder's house, on Park Service property, to begin eroding, according to the report. Snyder is now trying to get county approval to shore up a retaining wall before it crumbles into the canal, Montgomery County officials said. "
.
Yeah I thought it was against the law and have told her so but she doesn't care. She said that nobody would know. I'm glad mother nature is getting revenge on that fellow.
Yesterday I had a lot of fun with some of the other Garden Club members. We made Kokedama
balls. We made about 9 of them to sell at the upcoming Flower Show. They were so much fun to make and look so good I have to wonder if we will make some more. If you don't know what
Kokedama is take a look at these. I will post a few pics of our handy work later.
http://www.designsponge.com/2011/04/diy-project-kokedama-string-garden.html
Wow, those things are pretty sweet Holly! I bet they'll sell fast.
SAAAWEETTTTT!!!!!! They look great
cool!
Here are 3 of the ones we made. I have another 6 in the GH with ferns and other plants.
Very cute, Holly!
Is there a pot inside the moss balls--or just soil?
OR--maybe just sphagnum moss? Nothing else?
G.
First you take all the soil off your plant, then wrap the roots in sphagnum moss, tie the moss in place. Then take a mixture of potting soil and clay soil and make a ball around the bundle, then wrap the ball with a layer of sheet moss and wrap that with cord. Soak the ball in water for about 10 minutes and hang or set it on a plate to display. I still need to make a few hangers, just simple cords. I'll try to get a few more pics of the other ones tomorrow.
Why the clay? Doesn't that compact the root ball?
Well it is a mix of clay and potting soil, I think the clay is to help hold the ball together.
I'd much rather awaken to the sound of lawn mowers than snow blowers.#$@&%^ snow!!!
I'm with you on that!
Be sure to check out the spring show schedule!!!http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1311545/#new
Reading on the cell phone. Kept thinking you were saying SNOW schedule. Lol
Meadows Farms opens tomorrow after being closed for 2 months!! That's always a welcome sign of the spring to come, and a good thing because I'm getting snow depressed.
So the rabbits hit an all new low in our yard. They ate fresh twigs from the bottom of our Blue Atlas Cedar. Stripped the needles and chomp chomp. Unbelievable. They've also started on our other two Nellie Stevens hollies. I'm going to put out the trap Sunday night. I've been waiting to get a decent temperature overnight to set up the trap so they don't freeze when caught. Ugh...
That's too bad. Will the bottom branches grow back?
I don't really care I guess about the cedar or the NS hollies. They will grow taller and what the rabbits have eaten won't matter. It's more annoying than anything...sort of like a fly buzzing around your head while you're eating. Seriously though, in the last 5 winters, they haven't eaten any of the cedar and last winter they also didn't touch the NS. I don't know what's going on but whichever rabbit is doing the eating is hard core. They've decimated the lower branches of our 30 Pyracantha. He must have steel lips...LOL
Perhaps their tastes change over time, or they were hungrier this year, or they didn't recognize Pyracantha as food at first.
I'm with you on the annoying part! It's taken me 2 years to figure out that rabbits are probably eating the few Virginia Bluebells I've tried to grow. They're also fond of Virginia Sweetspire 'Henry's Garnet'. I'll try to remember to put rabbit repellent around them this spring....actually I should do a touch-up on the Sweetspire now.
Oh how frustrating, those rascally rabbits. I haven't noticed any damage yet this year haven't really seen any rabbits out they must be hunkering down under the hedges. The snow in our yard hasn't really gone away for a long time can't remember the last time I really saw any green grass other than in the paths that Ric made to get to the feeders, GH and Barn.
Ric and I wandered up to Harrisburg yesterday to see the Pa Garden Expo. If you have any plans on attending don't bother. There were only 3 display gardens, they were nice looking but there really wasn't enough to hold your interest for more than a few minutes each. They had the wineries set up in the Garden display area along with a tractor guy and the local community garden people. Even the vendors weren't very garden centered. There were a couple kitchen/bath/garage remodelers, window/doors, pools/hot tubs, and hardscape, vendors. Some jewelry, hand soap/lotions and foods. There was only one person selling plants and they were roots not actual green growing plants and one place selling cute garden art and such.
I had heard that the original organizer had dropped the event and another had picked it up at the last minute so that maybe why there was such a poor display. The Hbg. show as been struggling for years now, never really getting up much energy. The general admission is $13 and $8 to park, I seriously think if we had paid that I would have been back at the ticket office asking for a refund. Friday was senior day with $8 ticket for me and Ric got in free due to his Vet status.
All in all we had a fun day, we did a little grocery shopping, picked up lunch and ate by the lake, then after the show we stopped at my parents house for a short visit and Jamie was there fixing the water softener so we got to see him. Then on to Jule's house to see her new dog and pizza and games.
